No child's play: Chet Hanks opens up about growing up in the limelight
The Hollywood actor is beloved in America. Friendly, approachable, trustworthy, funny – it seems Tom Hanks has no flaws. Meanwhile, the star and his wife Rita Wilson have a son who doesn't consider growing up in the Hanks family proverbial 'child's play'.
Hanks' eldest son, Colin (his mother was Samantha Lewes), is also an actor. He received a Golden Globe nomination for his phenomenal role in the series "Fargo". He has two children and is frequently "hauled out" by American tabloids whenever Chet does something foolish. Hanks is also the father of writer Elisabeth Hanks. He has one more child, the youngest in the family, Truman. The most attention, however, is on Chet. What has he achieved?
He's certainly recognisable online because of his antics: Chester "Chet" Hanks is now 33 years old and doesn't have the best reputation. Drug use, alcohol, an illegitimate child, assault on an ex-girlfriend, suspended right to own a gun (and in the States, it's not easy to lose it), trashed hotel rooms, and ultimately rehab. Although he has a few small roles, no one would call him an actor. He gladly drifts through various celebrity programmes and podcasts.
Two years ago, he recorded a rant on his YouTube channel (the recording has since been deleted) about growing up without an adequate role model from his father. People in the States (and beyond) reacted outrageously to these complaints.
Chet Hanks complains about his childhood
The actor's son is appearing in another reality show, MTV's "Surreal Life: Villa of Secrets". As usual in such productions, the house's residents laze around in skimpy outfits and engage in deep conversations. In the latest episode, the group played cards when the topic suddenly turned to childhood. That's when young Hanks spoke up.
"I’ll tell you something about my childhood. People think that being Tom Hanks’ son, like, I would grow up feeling like I was the s*it. I actually grew up feeling completely fu**ing worthless," he said. Hanks Jr. does not blame his famous parents for this. It was about his peers.
"People treated me like, ‘You must think you’re better than me’ when I didn’t. I just wanted to be friends with everybody and be treated like everybody else."
A year ago, he reflected on his youth:
"I have been in character for as long as I’ve been in the public eye. I've played many roles and worn many masks. Actor. Rapper. Fitness guy. Lambo guy. None of them are the real me... But the more I look around at the world I see that the world doesn’t need any more caricatures. False depictions of who we think we need to be... There’s only on thing the world needs more of and that’s God."
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson
Tom Hanks is 68 years old, has been nominated for an Oscar six times, and has received two statuettes. He has starred in dozens of films, only some of the most important ones being "Forrest Gump", "Philadelphia", "Cast Away", "You've Got Mail", "Sleepless in Seattle", "Saving Private Ryan", "The Terminal". His latest film is Wes Anderson's "Asteroid City" (available on SkyShowtime). Rita Wilson is mainly a comedic actress. She appeared, for example, in the series "Girls" (Max). They have been married for 36 years.
